OK, this isn't one to give half an eye over a cup of coffee while six kids ask you six entirely different questions, from photocopier operation to the third Melissa Marr book (it's Fragile Eternity, and the next to be published is called Radiant Shadows - there's a book trailer for that on her site, too).
Where was I?
Mark Pesce has written a long, thoughtful analysis of e-books, e-texts, hypertexts, digital texts, what reading means in the context of these: he covers a whole bunch of stuff in an intellectual discussion that's definitely worth reading and digesting. Whatever Happened To The Book?
Cheers
Ruth
Discovered via @RossJTodd on Twitter. Read another blogger's post about this at Darcy Moore's blog here.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
An author on e-books and the future of reading.
Author Anna Quindlen writes about the future of reading for Newsweek - print books, e-books, reading itself.
The conclusion of her article:
As Kafka once said, "A book must be the ax for the frozen sea within us."
Reading is not simply an intellectual pursuit but an emotional and spiritual one. It lights the candle in the hurricane lamp of self; that's why it survives. There are book clubs and book Web sites and books on tape and books online. There are still millions of people who like the paper version, at least for now. And if that changes—well, what is a book, really? Is it its body, or its soul? Would Dickens have recognized a paperback of A Christmas Carol, or, for that matter, a Braille version? Even on a cell-phone screen, Tiny Tim can God-bless us, every one.
Cheers, and more cheers for the axe and the candle
Ruth
The conclusion of her article:
As Kafka once said, "A book must be the ax for the frozen sea within us."
Reading is not simply an intellectual pursuit but an emotional and spiritual one. It lights the candle in the hurricane lamp of self; that's why it survives. There are book clubs and book Web sites and books on tape and books online. There are still millions of people who like the paper version, at least for now. And if that changes—well, what is a book, really? Is it its body, or its soul? Would Dickens have recognized a paperback of A Christmas Carol, or, for that matter, a Braille version? Even on a cell-phone screen, Tiny Tim can God-bless us, every one.
Cheers, and more cheers for the axe and the candle
Ruth
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
75 vampire books and counting...
The US National Public Radio program, All Things Considered, recently did a program on vampire fiction. Including a list of seventy five vampire books read by Margot Adler. Read her article and list, For love of do-good vampires: a bloody book list, or you can listen to it at that link too. It's an interesting historical analysis of the vampire genre in fiction and on film and television - why they intrigue us, why this genre, constantly reinvented, sustains its appeal.
Not to be picky or nuffink, bu she misses the best one (as I note was pointed out in at least one comment at the end of the article):
Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. My absolute favourite. I've blogged about it before, and re-read it every year or two, to savour it again. Wonderful writing, fabulous world-building, great characters.
From a school library point of view, the list isn't specifically compiled for a teenage audience, so don't assume all the titles are Safe For The Young and instant school-library-adds. But it's a great resource.
Cheers
Ruth
PS. found the link via the blog at http://www.gailcarriger.com/
Monday, May 3, 2010
Libraries and librarians as sponsors of literacy
An excellent slideshow presentation from Buffy J. Hamilton.
Plenty of food for thought, for teachers as well as teacher librarians. Found via Twitter.
Cheers
Ruth
Plenty of food for thought, for teachers as well as teacher librarians. Found via Twitter.
Cheers
Ruth
Teacher librarians: news reports, govt inquiry
Thought I'd collate a few reports/links here, for your reference and mine.
Recent news reports:
Australian Government inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians.
Death spiral? Faithful few? I started work as a teacher librarian in my twenties, and now find myself in that 90%. Current research shows over and over again the positive impact on learning that teacher librarians have. It will be most interesting to see the outcome of the Australian government inquiry.
Cheers
Ruth
Recent news reports:
- Faithful few left to keep Dewey alive in a download world by Natalie Craig in the Sunday Age, May 2, 2010. It begins: Rudd's billions are building thousands of school libraries. But, who will staff them?...More than 90 per cent of teacher-librarians in Australia are believed to be over 40, compared to half of teachers generally. Many teacher-librarians also retire early because of a lack of promotional opportunities. Meanwhile, there are just four tertiary courses nationally to train them, from a peak of 15, and only about 100 graduates a year.
- Teacher librarian numbers in 'death spiral'. Posted April 30, 2010 13:03:00 on abc.net.au. It begins: There is concern over a massive decline in the number of teacher librarians in Tasmanian schools. A Parliamentary Committee hearing in Hobart has been told there are just 29 qualified teacher librarians across Tasmania's 215 primary and secondary schools. That figure is down from 109, 15 years ago.
Australian Government inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians.
- Inquiry home page
- Read some of the 384 submissions - click here
- Anne Weaver's submission (she is the TL at All Hallows' School in Brisbane and her excellent blog is Reading Power).
- Transcripts of the public hearings will be placed on this page
- After the final report has been tabled in Parliament, you can find it on this page.
Death spiral? Faithful few? I started work as a teacher librarian in my twenties, and now find myself in that 90%. Current research shows over and over again the positive impact on learning that teacher librarians have. It will be most interesting to see the outcome of the Australian government inquiry.
Cheers
Ruth
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Internet safety: Teaching about the web includes the troublesome parts
There's some discussion of this going on around the traps internet safety, cyberbullying, the dangers of the social networking online.
Teaching about the web includes the troublesome parts by Stephanie Clifford in the New York Times
Common Sense’s classes, based on research by Howard Gardner, a Harvard psychology and education professor, are grouped into topics he calls “ethical fault lines”: identity (how do you present yourself online?); privacy (the world can see everything you write); ownership (plagiarism, reproducing creative work); credibility (legitimate sources of information); and community (interacting with others).
Here's a link to the (coming soon) curriuculum documents - there is a preview of the privacy unit.
Edited by Howard Gardiner: Young people, ethics and the new digital media (link to a free pdf).
Cyberbullying report from the ABC's 7.30 Report:
In a recent study one in four teenage students said they'd been bullied in the previous few weeks. A conference in Melbourne starting later this week will examine why schools aren't able to properly tackle the problem, and whether bullying itself should be made a crime.
This report spends time on teacher unfamiliarity with social media, and teachers' lack of training, as being part of the reason for the problem.
I am not abrogating the role schools and teachers can play in educating to reduce/eliminate cyberbullying, but surely it's not down to schools alone to solve this (if indeed it can be entirely eliminated/solved)?
I've done a short presentation on cybersafety at the Year 11 Crossroads program these last few years, so it will be good to incorporate material from these resources.
Cheers
Ruth
Teaching about the web includes the troublesome parts by Stephanie Clifford in the New York Times
Common Sense’s classes, based on research by Howard Gardner, a Harvard psychology and education professor, are grouped into topics he calls “ethical fault lines”: identity (how do you present yourself online?); privacy (the world can see everything you write); ownership (plagiarism, reproducing creative work); credibility (legitimate sources of information); and community (interacting with others).
Here's a link to the (coming soon) curriuculum documents - there is a preview of the privacy unit.
Edited by Howard Gardiner: Young people, ethics and the new digital media (link to a free pdf).
Cyberbullying report from the ABC's 7.30 Report:
In a recent study one in four teenage students said they'd been bullied in the previous few weeks. A conference in Melbourne starting later this week will examine why schools aren't able to properly tackle the problem, and whether bullying itself should be made a crime.
This report spends time on teacher unfamiliarity with social media, and teachers' lack of training, as being part of the reason for the problem.
I am not abrogating the role schools and teachers can play in educating to reduce/eliminate cyberbullying, but surely it's not down to schools alone to solve this (if indeed it can be entirely eliminated/solved)?
I've done a short presentation on cybersafety at the Year 11 Crossroads program these last few years, so it will be good to incorporate material from these resources.
Cheers
Ruth
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The creepiest children's books ever
The Huffington Post slideshow does include some authentically creepy items:
although I find myself disagreeing on a couple of choices. I discussed the fabulous picture book, Where Willy Went, in this GIFSL* 30 entry, concerning naughty books about sex:
...and it's still a winner, finding friends most lunchtimes who read and chuckle (and maybe learn something too).
Cheers
Ruth
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
